To Live would be an Awfully Big Adventure
by Kandy-Sugar
Summary: [COMPLETE] Chapter 10: Wendy's story comes to end. But only for the moment.
1. Chapter 1: Regrets

To Live would be an Awfully Big Adventure

**Chapter 1: Regrets**

It was not often that Wendy thought about Peter anymore. She found that it was much too painful, for her already broken heart. She was now fifteen years old. Three years ago, she had been flying all over Neverland with Peter Pan, fighting pirates, talking to the mermaids, playing games with the Indians and telling the Lost boys her enchanting stories. But one memory that Wendy could never forget about Neverland was the kiss she shared with Peter on the Jolly Roger, when they were both nearly killed by Captain Hook himself. Something else came to mind also. It was of Wendy and Peter dancing in the night air, high above the forest floor. The fairies with their tiny bodies glowing brightly, danced gracefully around them. That was such a beautiful night.

When she arrived back home, she thought for many nights, _Have I done the wrong thing by leaving Peter? Should I have stayed with him and never grown up?_

But as she grew, she decided that it was in her family's best interest, if she stayed in London. After all Peter never came back for her after that night, when the last she saw of him, was him flying away, higher and higher into the night sky.

_Oh so many thoughts. Why can't I think of the answer to end my misery?_ Wendy asked herself as she tossed and turned in her bed._ Why do I feel as if I should have stayed in Neverland with Peter, and yet I feel I needed to grow up? I do so want to be young forever and have fun with Peter. But I also want to grow up. It doesn't make any sense to me. I wish Peter had stayed with me. No! I wish I had of stayed with Peter. We would have been free and could do as we please. But then there was the fact, that if I did ever want to grow up, I would have had to go back to a world with my younger brothers older then me, my parents most likely dead and I would have no Peter in my life anymore._

Poor Wendy thought to herself, as she lay down on her new bed, with her head buried in her pillow, and her blonde-brown hair sprawled out around her. Wendy knew she was growing up, because she had forgotten how to fly, and was forgetting small but important things about Neverland. She then lifted her head at the sound of the grandfather clock, chiming in the hallway. She waited silently until she heard it chime the eleventh hour. Getting up from her tear-soaked pillow, she arose from her bed and walked over to her dressing table. As she went to pick up her kiss that Peter had given her, she caught a glimpse of someone she didn't know in her mirror. Wendy wasn't worried by this person, because she knew that they would do her no harm. She then said to herself.

_I don't know this person. Why do I look at myself and not know who I am? I am here and yet I am not. My body is physically growing and living in this grown-up world, but my mind is staying young and living in Neverland._

This was a depressing thought. Peter would be younger then her in appearance, but he would be the same age as her in her mind. And Wendy didn't really know what would happen to her as she grew. It would be as if her body would keep on growing and dragging her along, while her mind stayed young and confused. She started to become frightened at the thought of this.

_I would never really belong anywhere. I'll be too old in appearance for Neverland, and too young in the mind for this world. I will be stuck between two worlds. Why do I have to choose? Should I forget Peter and try to live my life as normal as possible? Or should I pray that Peter will come back for me and take me back to Neverland? _Each option was too hard to live by, in their own way.

_I don't want to forget Peter and grow up, and I don't want to forget my family and stay young._

Snapping out of her depressing thoughts, Wendy remembered what she had gotten up out of bed to do in the first place. Quickly, but ever so carefully Wendy placed Peter's kiss around her neck.

She disregarded the girl who was staring at her on the other side of the mirror, and walked across her room to the door. Quietly she turned the handle and peeked out into the dark hallway. She listened for any noise that might indicate that someone was still awake. Five minutes later, she decided that it was safe enough to leave her room. She tiptoed down the hallway and snuck into the next room on her left. Once she had opened the door and made sure that the boys were still sleeping, Wendy took one giant step into the nursery and turned to close the door.

_Oh, I made it. Once again as always. _She thought to herself, leaning her back on the door as she turned around, with a little smile appearing on her brilliant red lips.

She stared at the room she was now in. This was the room she had once shared with her brothers, John and Michael. They had so many adventures and joy in this room. Now this room was occupied with her new adopted brothers (The Lost Boys), as well as John and Michael. Turning her head, she saw her old bed sitting lifelessly in its position, facing the window. Happily she skipped over to her old comforting bed, and felt herself fly onto it. Shocked by this Wendy didn't know what to think.

_Did I just fly onto my bed? I only flew a little bit in the air, but I know flying when I feel it. I couldn't forget what flying feels like. Even if I did forget how to fly, I would know what it felt like once I did it again. _Wendy seemed to be repeating the same thought in her head, trying to word it in a different way each time, to see which thought seemed easier to understand.

Dismissing the thought, she decided that she had just imagined flying. However a little niggling feeling was left in her head, as if trying to break through to her and make her realise that she wasn't imagining it. She lay there on her bed for a while thinking of the time her father said he was going to sell her old bed.

_**Flash back** _

_(One night, a few weeks after Wendy, her brothers and The Lost Boys returned from Neverland.)_

_Mr Darling and Mrs Darling are sitting in the family room talking. Wendy is walking up the stairs to her new room, when suddenly she stops as she hears Mr Darling. _

**Mr Darling**: _Mary I think we should sell Wendy's old bed, to make more room for the boys in the nursery. _

_**Mrs Darling: **But George, you know how much Wendy loves that bed. She's practically slept in it her whole life._

_Wendy has now crept down from the stairs, to the door of the family room, listening to every word her parents say._

_**Mr Darling: **I know Mary, but she has a new room and bed now. We have no use for it anymore._

_**Mrs Darling:** George, Wendy is very attached to that bed. I don't know why we didn't think of putting it in her new room._

_**Mr Darling: **I did think of it. But it wasn't a good idea. Wendy needs to grow up. And I don't want anything from her childhood years to hold her back. Even if it is a bed. The simplest thing can have too many memories._

_**Mrs Darling (shocked):** Surely you don't want to destroy Wendy's memories?_

_**Mr Darling:** No, of course not. But they will hold her back. And she doesn't need that. Not if she is to marry and live a good life._

_Wendy stormed in the room at this._

_**Wendy: **You can't get rid of my bed. It's mine. I don't care what you say I'll never let you give it away._

_Wendy ran out of the room crying, scurried up the stairs and flopped down onto her old bed in the nursery, and cried._

_**End Flash Back**_

Obviously they had let her keep the bed, as she was lying on it right now. However her parents only agreed to keep it if she would promise not to sleep in it. Of course she promised, with the intention of never going against her parents' word. But there was the occasional night, when she would sneak off to the nursery and lay on the bed for a while, just to think of what it was like to be young again.

Wendy stared out of her window, and remembered how she would do this every night, (when she was younger), and slowly drift off to dream.

Tonight the sky was clear. It was a black velvety sheet, with little diamonds encrusted into it. But she was looking at one star in particular. The second to the right. She was half expecting a little light to shoot out of it and fly all the way down to her window. But that was wishful thinking. Peter Pan would never come back for her now. She was too confused about who she was. However, part of her was still hoping and believing that he would come for her and rescue her from this grown up world.

Her thoughts were making her sleepy, and before she knew it she was fast asleep. It had not seemed so long ago that she had closed her eyes, and now she was awake once again. _Nothing seemed to have woken her. The grandfather clock in the hallway was silent. The boys were sleeping peacefully, and it wasn't time for her to sneak back into her own room._ Thought Wendy.

It was more of an instinct that had woken her. Something was different and she could feel its presence in the nursery. She looked over to the window. She was almost sure she saw some fairy dust glittering on the windowsill. _The window hadn't been opened. There was no sign of a boy..._ Wendy realised that she was once again thinking of Peter. _He wouldn't have come, why would he?_

She decided that it would be a good idea to leave the nursery, in case she fell asleep again. However as soon as she got up out of bed, she noticed that her parents were at the door. Was this the presence that she had felt in the room? Her parents? She then realised that she was in the nursery with her parents watching her get out of the bed. She had made them see that she had gone back on her promise.

Mr Darling was looking very disappointed and angry in the face as he said, "Wendy, what do you think you are doing?"

Wendy couldn't believe what she did next.

"I was checking that the boys were alright." She lied.

_Oh stupid. So stupid. Now I haven't not only gone back on my promise, I lied to them about it as well, to cover it up._ Wendy thought miserably.

"How dare you lie to me. How long has this been going on? You are supposed to be a grown woman." Mr Darling said getting very red in the face and his left eye was twitching, which it always did when he was furious.

Mrs Darling stepped in at this and said, "George, can't this wait until the morning? You don't want to wake the boys."

Mr Darling replied, "It most certainly can not wait until the morning."

Wendy said, "Father I'm sorry, I only came in for a few short seconds. I must have slept-walked."

_What am I doing? Why do I keep lying and making it worse for myself? He knows I'm lying for sure now. I changed my story from checking on the boys, to sleepwalking._

"Wendy, don't lie to me. I saw you go into the nursery, very cautiously. And I waited for you to come out. But when you didn't we came and found you asleep. I know you did not sleepwalk. Now tell me the truth." Mr Darling yelled at her.

Her father hadn't yelled at her like this since the night he had told her to grow up. That was the night Peter had come for her. _But there was no escape to Neverland now. Peter would never come for her. He had probably forgotten about her. Even though she had asked him, "Peter! You won't forget me will you?" He replied with, "Me? Forget? Never." Then he... Hang on she had also asked him, "Will you come back?" He replied with, "To hear stories. About me."_

_So he did say he would come back. How could she have forgotten?_

She was brought back to the present by her father, who was pulling her out of the nursery by her left arm and shoving her into her room. They were closely followed by Mrs Darling who was calling for George to leave her.

"This is your room now. You are never to go into the nursery again. Is that understood?" bellowed her father, as he started to leave and shut her bedroom door.

"No, it isn't understood father." Wendy shouted back at him.

_She realised that for the forth time that night, she had once again made it worse for herself. I broke my promise about never sleeping in my old bed again. I lied about checking on the boys, and then I changed my story and said_ _I was sleepwalking. Now I have back-answered my father._

Her father, stopped when he heard Wendy's comment. He turned to look at her and came back into her room. He stood in front of her a few metres away near the door. Mrs Darling walked into the room and put her hand on George's shoulder.

"George, come to bed. You have to go to work early in the morning." She said calmly.

He shook off Mrs Darling and simply said, "Mary, get Aunt Millicent on the phone."

His tired, red eyes were staring into her red, tearful ones.

"Whatever for George?" asked Mrs Darling.

"Wendy will be staying there for the next few months, until she learns to grow up." He said with his teeth clenched together.

That was what he had basically said to her in the same tone, the night that she was told by him, that she would begin her instructions with Aunt Millicent the next day.

"What? No! I won't go." Cried Wendy.

"You will do as you are told!" roared Mr Darling.

"But why must I go to Aunt Millicent's? Why do I have to do what you say?" Wendy asked him, hoping he would give her the answer she was looking for.

"Because you are still a child." He said not realising what he had said. A moment ago he had told her she was a grown woman. Now he was calling her a child.

"Yes I am still a child." She said quietly.

"As of tomorrow you will never set foot in the nursery again." He yelled. Turning on his heel he walked out of the room past Mrs Darling. He went to call Aunt Millicent because Mrs Darling hadn't done so.

Wendy burst into a new stream of tears, sunk onto her bed and put her head into her hands. Mrs Darling sat down next to Wendy on the bed and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. However she pulled away when Wendy went to hug her. Wendy was shocked and just stared at her mother confused.

"Wendy, your father is right. No more games. You were told three years ago. Consider this as a final warning. Although I'm sure you will still be sent to Aunt Millicent's." said Mrs Darling in a disappointed way and then walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Wendy couldn't believe it. _Her own mother, who had always been the one to help her through her father's and aunt's ranting and raving, was giving up on her._

Her tears were now too scared to leave her eyes, and all she could do was sit up on her bed and think, _I should never have left Neverland, I should never have left Peter._


	2. Chapter 2: More Regrets

**Chapter 2: More Regrets**

The next morning Wendy was awoken by Michael, who was standing by her bed whimpering, with tears in his sweet baby blue eyes.

Michael sniffled sadly, "Wendy, mother said you're going away. Why?"

Wendy who was still half asleep, with her head hidden in her white pillow, grumbled in reply to Michael, "I don't know. Because I need to grow up."

"But Wendy, who will tell us stories? Who will...?

Michael's sad words were interrupted by Wendy, who lifted her head up from her pillow, to face him angrily and yell, "Michael! I haven't told you, or any of the other boys, any stories for ages! I am not your mother! I was never your mother! I am going to Aunt Millicent's to grow up! So leave me alone!"

Wendy shut her eyes tight, reburied her face in her pillow and covered her entire body with her bed sheets.

Michael stopped crying and let the last of his tears roll down his rosy cheeks. He was shocked by Wendy's sudden outburst.

He gathered all the strength he could muster and simply said, "Wendy, I know you haven't told us stories for a long time and I also know why. I know how much you loved Peter,"

Wendy opened up her eyes from under the bed sheets. She felt a pang of panic and shock run through her whole body_. How could Michael have known this? And why did he have to bring it up? _Thought a heartbroken Wendy.

"And how much it hurts to think about him, but you decided to come back with me and John and The Lost Boys. So there is no going back. But you can always remember him. By bringing him back to life in your stories, like you used to." Finished Michael.

Wendy grew angry once again, and this time she threw her sheets off herself and grabbed Michael by his arms, so that she was looking directly into his eyes.

"You don't know anything Michael! You're just a child! I'll never tell another story from this day forwards. I don't want to remember that boy! And I didn't decide to come back with the rest of you! I had to come back! So leave me be! I don't want to ever hear that boys' name again."

Wendy shoved Michael out of the room and slid down the door, which she had just slammed in Michael's face.

Michael then shouted at her through the door, "No wonder Peter never came back!"

She felt as if her tears were teasing her. It was almost as if they were saying, _"Wendy has to grow up. She can't cry anymore. Lets give her something to cry about. Then we'll see how grown up she really is."_

She couldn't fight the tears, but she could stop them from falling. However, one little tear escaped her tightly shut eyes. Between the moment she started to open her eyes and when she actually opened them, to find the estranged tear, Wendy felt a strange, but very familiar presence in the room. Once her eyes were opened, she quickly searched her room, to see what had given her that wonderful feeling in her time of grief. But there was nothing there. So she left it at that. Wendy thought to herself as she sat on the floor, _I don't want to not think about that boy. Why, I could never forget him. He is just too special to me. Peter is the only one I will ever..._

Wendy's thoughts were interrupted when her mother knocked on the door.

"Wendy, are you awake?"Mrs Darling said loudly.

Wendy jumped up off the floor and wiped away the tears that sat in her eyes. She faced the door, placed her hands together behind her back, and said, "Yes I'm awake. You may come in mother."

Wendy's mother opened the door rather forcefully and looked at Wendy as soon as she entered the room.

"Well go have a shower then. I'll help you start packing." Said Mrs Darling who was already going through Wendy's wardrobe, picking out her best outfits.

"Mother? How are you going to pack everything in just a few short hours?" asked Wendy, and looked at her mother with confusion written all over her face.

"I'm not." Mrs Darling said bluntly. "Your not going to need much of your old outfits anymore. They are rather childish now, don't you think? We'll buy you some new fashionable outfits, while your staying at Aunt Millicent's."

"But mother I..."

Wendy's sentence was cut short by Mrs Darling, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to her anyway.

"Wendy you better have a shower while the hot water is still running." She said not turning away from packing Wendy's suitcase on her bed.

Wendy just rolled her eyes in annoyance and left the room calmly. She walked down the hallway, turned right into the bathroom and slammed the door. Wendy walked over to the foggy mirror on the bathroom wall, and rubbed away the mist to reveal the same girl, who was staring at her in her room last night. This time however, the girl seemed to be saying something to her. This girl whom Wendy felt no connection with, seemed to be sending a message through Wendy's mind, which said this, _"Wendy, you'll never be one of them. Stop pretending and tell them who you really are. You want to go back to Neverland with Peter and never grow up don't you? You and I both know it. Don't we Wendy?"_

_Wendy felt like she was truly starting to lose her mind. She felt out of control and she was getting even more frustrated by the minute._ This thought of Wendy's seemed to prove very true, when she screamed at her reflection, "No! I won't go back to Neverland ever again. Leave me alone! You're not real! Stop trying to confuse me!"

Mrs Darling left Wendy's room and hurried to the bathroom door, at the sound of Wendy's cries. "Wendy are you alright?" she said concerned for her daughter.

She then remembered that Wendy was no longer to be treated like a child. So she quickly added on to the end of her first sentence, in a more formal tone, "Wendy I want you to have a shower now, before you catch a death-a-cold from having a cold shower. You're to be ready in less then an hour. So don't dawdle."

Wendy turned her head away from the mirror and looked at the door, with an apologetic expression on her face, as if she could see her mother on the other side. She simply said, "Yes mother."

Gradually she turned her delicate little head around to gaze at her reflection once more. This time she looked down and she noticed Peter's kiss dangling from her neck.

_I must have forgotten to take it off last night. Lucky mother didn't see it. _Thought Wendy. She held the little acorn affectionately, between her right thumb and pointer and smiled at it. Then, as if she had just realised it was something dangerous, Wendy grabbed it and yanked it off rather forcefully from her neck, and threw it out of sight. The kiss was tossed out of the window. Wendy however didn't notice this because she had already started to step into the shower.

Outside the window a hand shot out from a tree and caught the falling kiss. It quickly disappeared, back into the branches, where a young boy by the name of Peter Pan sat effortlessly on his hind two legs, on the edge of a branch. A little ball of gold, by the name of Tinkerbell was glowing brightly nearby. A tear had rolled down his tanned and dirty cheek. It was quickly wiped away, by his filthy left arm.

Tinkerbell gave him a look, which said, "It's okay Peter. I'm here."

But she knew that it wasn't the same. Wendy was the one he wanted. He now stared at the kiss, which he had given Wendy three years ago. He played with it in his hands, wondering why Wendy had discarded it so carelessly.

"Surely she doesn't want to lose this?" whispered Peter to no one in particular.

Peter started moving out from the tree, to look into the open window, to see if Wendy was missing it. However he was startled, when Tinkerbell had held down each of his eyelids, with one of her tiny hands each.

He backed away into the tree again and said in a confused tone to Tinkerbell, "What? Tink, what are you doing? I'm only giving Wendy her kiss back."

Once Peter was sitting in the tree again, away from the window, Tink replied in her fairy language, "Peter, you can't look."

"Why not?" said Peter, who was rubbing his eyes, (Tinkerbell had a very strong grip after all.)

Tinkerbell didn't know how to explain to Peter, that his innocence would be taken away forever, if he even took a glance through that window, at Wendy in the shower.

So she answered him in the best way she could, without lying. She did hate to lie to Peter. "Because Wendy is a grown woman now and you're a boy and..."

Peter glared at Tinkerbell, looking at her, as if he would sooner crush her into a thousand specks of fairy dust, then have to listen to her call Wendy a grown up.

Tink had seen this look only once before. Just after Wendy had been shot to the ground by The Lost Boys, under Tinkerbell's orders. He had banished her after that. She hated to think of what Peter might do to her this time.

However he didn't do anything too drastic. He did however yell at her, "She is not grown up! She can't grow up! She belongs to me! And whatever is mine shall never be old or grown up!"

He then flew out of the tree and rose up higher and higher into the early morning sky, with Wendy's kiss held firmly in his right hand.

Tink flew a few metres behind him, feeling bad for her beloved friend. She knew that whenever Peter felt horrible, so did she and all of Neverland. This wasn't a good thing, because Peter never experienced sadness or anger very often. So when he did feel it, the emotions would almost always get out of hand.

Peter kept flying higher into the sky, leaving London behind him as he entered the tips of the clouds. _Why did Tink have to say those things about Wendy? Wendy was his Wendy. The one person he felt that he truly connected with. I wish Wendy had never left Neverland. No! I wish I had of stayed with Wendy in London._

_Oh, I should never have left London. I should never have left Wendy._

_Hello people who are currently reading my story. I really appreciate all of your comments and enthusiasm towards my story. This is one of my first stories on fanfiction. The Beast's Beauty being the other one. But please keep reading and reviewing my story. It means a whole lot to me, to know that people enjoy something that I've created. I've got a whole lot more chapters coming up, so stay tuned._

_Candy Depp Sumpter_


	3. Chapter 3: There are Worse Things in Lif...

**Chapter 3: There are Worse Things in Life**

After Wendy had gotten out of the shower, she quickly dried herself and ran to her room in her bathrobe. She had spent an awfully long time in the shower. She knew she must of, because the water had started to freeze her tiny body. Usually the hot water shut itself off around 10.00 am, so that it could rejuvenate itself for the night.

The last thing Wendy remembered doing before hopping into the shower, was listening to her mother telling her not to dawdle. That was at about 9.15 am (as she remembered passing the grandfather clock in the hallway, and taking a quick glance at it.)

She was in for it now. Her first day of being a grown up was already going completely wrong. She didn't want to disappoint her parents once again. She hoped that maybe if she could show them this morning, that she could still be responsible without having to go to Aunt Millicent's, then maybe they would change their minds about the whole situation. But that was a ridiculous thought. A few short hours of being responsible would not make up for last night. She was sure of it. Even if it was possible, she had already ruined any chance she could of had.

By now she should have been dressed, had her hair brushed back neatly, had breakfast, brushed her teeth and even possibly be getting into her fathers car. All ready to be whisked away.

Wendy still couldn't believe that she had spent forty-five minutes in the shower. _Oh what will mother and father think when they receive the water bill? _Thought Wendy, wincing at the thought of what punishment she might receive. However she recovered after remembering that she would be at Aunt Millicent's when they opened the enormous bill. So they couldn't do anything too drastic. Besides even if they did, Wendy was immune to fear and punishment now. She had been, for a long time. Leaving Peter had been her largest fear and punishment of all time. So no matter how dreadful things got, they would never come close to that nightmare, which was in fact her reality.

Wendy sighed, "Oh well, I had better get moving."

She noticed her best outfit lying innocently on the end of her bed. Yet Wendy knew that once she put it on, it would lock her in and make her feel like a complete fool. She would be a child in the disguise of an adult.

"Here goes nothing." Wendy said miserably, as he slipped on the pretty lavender dress, which floated just above her knees. The collar was a lighter shade of lavender as were the rims of her tiny sleeves. She pulled on her pure white stockings all the way past her knees, so that the top of them sat around her petite waist. (Her Aunt had made a note, that it was improper for a woman, to bare skin below the neck. With the exception of the arms.) So no more knee-high stockings. _They were so much more comfortable though. _Thought an annoyed Wendy.

Next Wendy slid on her cute little black buckle-up shoes. Wendy then stood in front of her mirror and brushed her brownish/blonde hair back into piggy-tails. The girl on the other side of the mirror seemed to have a look of sympathy on her face.

_Impossible. _Thought Wendy. _It's just my reflection._

However, Wendy said to the mirror, "Now don't you follow me to Aunt Millicent's. I'm to grow up now. I don't need any distractions."

Wendy felt like she was going absolutely mad, but then thought that it would go away soon enough. Wendy then scurried downstairs for breakfast. She was starving. She started to walk as she reached the bottom of the stairs however because she was afraid that her father would yell at her and give her a lecture on how to walk like a lady. When she arrived in the kitchen she saw John, Michael and The Lost Boys sitting at the breakfast table eating happily, but as soon as they spotted Wendy entering the room they scowled at her. It was apparent that Michael had already informed them in on his and Wendy's quarrel. _Oh well, I won't see them for another few months. _She thought both relieved and sad at the same time.

Wendy saw her mother cooking breakfast at the stove. So she wandered over and smelt the delicious meal, "Mmm." She murmured with her eyes closed. "It smells delicious. Is it almost ready?" asked Wendy (looking at her mother, who was facing sideways cooking) with a smile on her face for the first time that morning. However it disappeared as soon as her mother said, "Yes it is. But it's not for you Wendy. It's for your father. Besides, I think you should skip breakfast this morning. You need to thin out a bit!" eyeing Wendy's stomach out of the corner of her eye, which was in fact as slim as humanly possible, without having an eating disorder.

Wendy couldn't believe what she had just heard. And to make matters worse, the boys had heard and had started to laugh cruelly at her to one another; eyeing Wendy and making themselves look huge by sticking their hands out in front of their stomachs. Then they blew their faces up by sucking in an enormous amount of air.

Wendy turned away and glared at her mother for making a fool out of her yet again. First with the bizarre clothing and now with breakfast.

"Mother I am starving. I do not need to thin out a bit." She said quoting her mother's last words, as she looked at her mother who was still flipping the bacon.

"Even if I did. I would still eat anyway. I know I'm not sounding completely modest, but it's the truth. So am I still allowed breakfast or not?" asked Wendy crossing her arms, and almost losing her temper for the trillionth time that morning.

Mrs Darling had just finished putting the bacon and eggs onto a plate for Mr Darling and turned off the stove. She turned around to face Wendy, with a hand holding a spatular, sitting firmly on her right hip.

"Of course you're still allowed breakfast Wendy." Said her mother sweetly, and Wendy's eyes lit up joyfully.

"If you can cook it yourself." Mrs Darling said less pleasantly, as she headed outside with the breakfast, to where Mr Darling was reading the morning paper.

"What do you mean mother? You're not serious are you?" asked Wendy who looked at her mother outside. She was waiting for her mother to come back in, hug her and say, "Of course I'm joking silly. I wouldn't do that to you."

But the only response Wendy received from her mother was, "I am very serious Wendy. You'll need to know these things for when you go to Aunt Millicent's. She is expecting that you will know how to cook for her. Breakfast mainly. I left the utensils in the sink. Just wash them up."

Wendy's eyes, full of sorrow fell on the boys who seemed to be enjoying this little show. _Wendy? Cook breakfast? Impossible? _She could almost hear their thoughts.

Wendy turned around once again to face the stove. She felt completely lost. She didn't know the first thing about cooking. Maybe this was her mother's method of letting Wendy eat breakfast if she could prepare it herself, but knowing she wouldn't succeed. Therefore, Wendy would "thin out a bit" as Wendy thought of her mother's hurtful words once again.

_Well I'll show them. _She thought to herself. So Wendy spun around and walked confidently over to the sink. There she washed and dried the utensils. She then took them over to the bench beside the stove. She grabbed three pieces of bacon and placed them on the chopping board. Next she plucked two eggs out of the egg basket, which was hanging above her head and placed them on the bench carefully so that they didn't roll.

For the next few minutes, Wendy stood at the stove and was debating in her mind whether to turn the stove up high or low. Even if she did decide, she didn't know how to actually control the stove. _Oh! _Wendy thought. She was by now frustrated and angry. _Why did mother make me cook breakfast? I could seriously burn myself or cut my finger off. She could've at least been here to guide me through it. She can't be serious when she says that I need to know how to cook for Aunt Millicent. I've never cooked before in my life. A few minutes of "trying" to cook breakfast is not going to make me a professional. Oh, I sound so pathetic and stuck-up. _Thought Wendy with a disgusted expression on her pretty face. _I'm sure that I can figure out how to cook a simple breakfast. If I could survive Neverland with it's evil pirates and man-eating crocodiles, then cooking breakfast should seem like a piece of cake. _She thought more confidently.

When she finally figured out the controls on the stove, Wendy turned the temperature up to the highest heat it could reach, and poured some oil into the frying pan. She then waited for it to sizzle. Every now and then she would glance out of the corner of her left eye and she would see the boys watching eagerly. It was almost as if they wanted her to succeed. When Wendy thought that the pan was hot enough, she chucked the first piece of bacon onto the frying pan with the tips of her fingers. The oil sizzled violently and spat hot oil at her.

"Ouch!" Wendy cried every time a little drop of hot oil hit a patch of her skin.

She backed away and watched as the bacon quickly cooked and started to burn.

The boys were laughing nervously. It was as if they thought that it was a funny sight to see Wendy get hurt and yet they felt bad about it.

Wendy was sucking on her pinkie, which had got burnt. Mrs Darling had come in by this stage, as she had heard Wendy's cries.

"Oh, Wendy. Can't you do anything right?" Mrs Darling exclaimed as she hurried over to turn off the overheating stove, without even looking in Wendy's direction.

After Mrs Darling had solved the problem, she spun around to say something to Wendy, but instead pointed at Wendy's clothing and held her hand to her mouth.

"What's wrong mother?" asked Wendy, who was confused by her mother's strange behaviour.

"Your outfit. It's ruined." Cried Mrs Darling.

Wendy looked down at her dress. _Oh great! _Thought Wendy. _Perfect. Now I've got oil spots all over my dress. _However she put on a calm voice and said, "Mother it's all right. I'll just go upstairs and change."

"No Wendy. You're to leave now. Aunt Millicent is expecting you in less then ten minutes, and you know how far away she lives from us now. Just put your overcoat on. It'll have to do." Sighed Mrs Darling disappointedly as she leaned miserably against the stove with her left hand. Her right hand was held up to her forehead, as if she was coming down with a headache.

Wendy however didn't pay much attention to this because she saw a glint of someone's reflection on the window in the kitchen. _No it couldn't be. _Thought Wendy pushing aside the ridiculous assumption, that it could have been... _Oh, I better answer mother._

"Very well." Said Wendy who was glad at the fact that she didn't have to change again.

This was more her style anyway. _Nice and dirty. Ready to have an adventure in the forests of..._ She let that thought slip. _She couldn't bear to think of... _Well you know what.

So Wendy trudged all the way back upstairs and gathered up her belongings. She was still starving from having no breakfast. Her mother had won. _Maybe I can lose all that weight that I've put on lately. _Thought Wendy sarcastically.

"Oh I don't want to see a frying pan ever again." Thought Wendy who was very annoyed and frustrated once again.

Outside her window a very sad boy started to cry. She never wanted to see him again. He had heard it with his own ears. _"She never wanted to see a "Flying Pan" ever again."_ Fine, if that was the way she wanted it, then there was no point in hanging around.

Wendy bent down and searched her suitcase on the bed. _Something's missing._ Thought Wendy, as she stood up straight, putting her pointer finger to her red lips thinking, _What could it be? Well it can't be anything too important if... Oh no! My kiss! Where's my kiss? _Wendy thought frantically as she searched her room. She suddenly came to a halt when she remembered where she left it last. So she ran out of her room down the hallway and into the bathroom. Once there she turned over every towel and washer in sight. It was nowhere to be found. Then a horrible memory came back to haunt her. She had been arguing with her reflection and then she had ripped off the kiss and thrown it. Her pretty face suddenly turned towards the open window.

"Oh no!" cried Wendy, with tears appearing in her bright blue eyes.

"What have I done?" she said as she stuck her head out of the window, to see if she could find the missing kiss.

All of a sudden, she lost her grip on the window sill and hadslipped through the window and was falling all the way down to her death.

_Well I hope you enjoy this chapter. I put a lot of work into it. So I hope it shows. I have a lot more chapters coming up. So keep reading and reviewing. And I'll keep trying to give you all my best. So until next time. Enjoy!_

_Candy depp sumpter!_


	4. Chapter 4: Goodbye Father

**Chapter 4: Goodbye Father**

Wendy was falling. She didn't scream, call for help or even cry though. All she felt she could do, was think about the one thing that she would truly miss when she died. And that one thing was Peter.

All of a sudden, when she was just inches away from her painful death, she was suddenly floating all the way back to the bathroom window.

_Am I dead?_ Thought Wendy. _Did I die so quickly that I don't even remember it?_

She expected to float past the window into the clear sky. But was surprised when she was suddenly shoved very forcefully, back through the open window.

Wendy had fallen on her knees and quickly stood up to examine herself. _Not a scratch. How peculiar. _Thought Wendy, who was amazed, at this current event.

_I should have died, or at least been seriously injured. Did I fly? Was I thinking happy thoughts? No, I was only thinking of Peter. But he is my happy thought. So I guess I could've flown. No I couldn't have. It's impossible. _Thought Wendywho was getting even more confused by the minute.

She quickly peeked out of the window (very carefully this time mind you.) She looked around. There was nothing but a clear blue sky, hovering above a clean-cut lime-green lawn and a tree, which was swaying right in front of her. Wendy knew what she was thinking. She was thinking that maybe Peter had saved her. But she decided that it was a preposterous theory, because there was no one there when she was taken back up to the window. Nothing at all. So she came to the conclusion, that she had in fact, flown on her happy thought.

Wendy suddenly heard her mother call for her. So she quickly hurried back to her room and gathered her belongings and ran downstairs, trying not to fall. Mrs Darling was waiting impatiently at the door, tapping her high-heeled shoe against the wooden floor. When she finally saw Wendy she said, "Wendy, what took you so long? You are already going to be late as it is."

_Well, not that you'd care, but I almost died by falling out of the bathroom window. _Wendy thought angrily.

"I couldn't find my overcoat." Wendy said trying to make up an excuse on the spot.

"That's because it's kept in the cupboard near the front door." Said Mrs Darling, who was looking at Wendy as if she was the most stupid thing on Earth.

"Oh, I forgot." Said Wendy bluntly.

Wendy walked quickly over to the cupboard, pulled her coat out, flung it over her shoulders, and then proceeded to walk out of the front door and down the front steps. But she was suddenly stopped by her mother, who stood at the top of the steps and said,

"Wendy Moira Angela Darling?"

Wendy slowly turned around, looked at her mother cautiously and said, "Yes mother. Have I forgotten something?"

"You most certainly have." Said Mrs Darling, staring at Wendy, with a little hint of a smile forming on her sweet lips.

"What is it?" asked Wendy hesitantly.

"I should have thought you would have remembered." Said Mrs Darling, who seemed to be putting on an act of disappointment.

Mrs Darling then left the door and walked over to Wendy, bent down and embraced Wendy in a warm loving hug. She then kissed Wendy on the cheek and smiled, as she patted Wendy's long brownish-blonde hair.

She then whispered, "Wendy, I hope I haven't been too hard on you. I know it's a lot to get used to. But I didn't know how else to make you realise, that you had to learn not to rely on me all the time anymore. I really didn't want any of this to happen. I am sorry we have to put you through this."

Wendy felt like she would start crying, but instead said, " Then let me stay mother. Don't send me away. I promise I'll grow up. If you would just give me a chance, I could prove it to you."

She had now let the tears flow freely down her flushed cheeks.

Mrs Darling had started to cry a little also. She looked into Wendy's sad blue eyes and said softly, "I'm sorry Wendy. I can't let you stay here. It's for the best."

Mrs Darling had now straightened up, wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at Wendy. Wendy felt like she could do nothing more to help herself so she simply gave a small smile back. Wendy then turned to hop into the backseat of the car. However she was stopped once again by her mother who said, "Here take this," giving Wendy a small basket. "I'm sorry about breakfast."

Wendy once again proceeded to sit in the backseat of her father's car and shoved her belongings carelessly into the seat beside her. Mr Darling was by now looking at Mrs Darling very impatiently. Mrs Darling realised this and quickly shut the back door.

Leaning down to put her head through the window Mrs Darling said, "Wendy I love you. No matter what, you'll always be my little girl."

She then kissed Wendy's right, tear-soaked cheek one last time and moved away from the car.

Mr Darling started up the car, turning the key very forcefully in the ignition and did not say a word to Wendy or Mrs Darling as he started to drive down the cement driveway.

Wendy looked longingly out of the window at her home and her mother. Nana had now come to sit by Mrs Darling and was whimpering. She also thought she saw the boys peeping their little heads through the living room window. Surprisingly, they looked sad.

Wendy started to feel very alone, as the car drove away and all she could see was her mother, her home, Nana and the boys in the window slowly fading away.

She turned around and opened the parcel her mother had given her. In it were pancakes, bacon, two hard-boiled eggs, two pieces of toast, an apple and a container of orange juice. Her mother had given her breakfast after all. She felt a little happier. She didn't have to eat it right away. It was a long drive to Aunt Millicent's.

This thought of Aunt Millicent seemed to ruin Wendy's appetite all together. But she ate anyway. Wendy glanced at her father's face in the review mirror. He looked normal, like he usually did. He wore an expression that said nothing in particular. He did however seem anxious to get to Aunt Millicent's as he was driving at 70 km / per hour in a 60 km / per hour zone.

Well the sooner I get there was probably for the better anyway. She felt rather uncomfortable, sitting in the back seat of the car, not saying a word to her father. He seemed to be ignoring her. So Wendy continued to eat her breakfast, looking out of the car window, which was now wound up.

She was thinking once again about her kiss and how close she had come to death. She was upset about losing Peter's kiss to her. _Why was I so stupid? Why did I throw away the last thing I had to remind me of him? _She thought furiously.

_Oh well I guess it's for the best. It would have, too many memories anyway. _She thought once again trying to think logically.

Finally Wendy arrived at Aunt Millicent's. She waited for her father to get out of the car. But when he didn't, Wendy let herself out of the car and grabbed her belongings. She couldn't close the car door behind her because her hands were full, and her father would be furious if she kicked it shut with her foot. So she heaved her luggage up to the top of the stairs. She then walked back down the stairs and closed the car door gently. Then she waited for her father to say something. When he didn't Wendy said, "Well, I guess I'll see you soon." Looking at him sadly.

Gripping the car steering wheel angrily, he turned to her and said, "You will speak when you're spoken to. Now, I want you to stay here until you're mature enough to act like a lady. It's time for you to grow up." He said with his left eye twitching violently.

Then he drove off at full speed. Not looking back to even say goodbye.

"Goodbye father." Wendy whispered. Then she slowly walked up to the top of the stairs.

_Thankyou to everyone who keeps reading my story. This chapter is a little bit shorter this time. But I hope you enjoy it all the same._

_P.S. You should know about Fan Fiction's update these past few weeks. And I would just like to say that I have had some trouble trying to upload my stories. I have had many chapters typed up already. I have just had a lot of trouble uploading them. So I am very sorry about the wait. It shouldn't happen again. I have been dying to upload these chapters. Believe me. My next chapter is much longer. It will take me a while to type up. But I will post it as soon as possible._

_Candy depp sumpter _


	5. Chapter 5: Come With Me

Chapter 5: Come With Me

Wendy stood at the front steps for the longest time. She knew that once she knocked on the old wooden door, her nightmare would begin.

After a few minutes she decided to get it over with and knocked three times.

A few seconds later the door opened very slowly to reveal a young boy.

"Slightly!" Wendy exclaimed happily. She had forgotten about him with all of the turmoil going on. She felt a little better knowing that he would be with her for the next few months. He looked somewhat different from the last time she saw him. Which was the night Wendy and the boys had been brought back home. He used to have a tan from the Neverland sun, he was quite dirty and his hair was wild. Now his skin had faded to a very pale complexion, he was as clean as whistle and his hair was brushed back respectfully.

Once Slightly realised who it was, he smiled and ran out from behind the door to embrace Wendy in a warm hug. Wendy looked rather different. He had last seen her the night they arrived back in London. Which was three years ago. Back then she had rosy cheeks from the excitement of her time in Neverland. She had bright blue eyes, filled with love and happiness. Her red lips were always ready to tell stories of joy and adventure. Now her cheeks were only red from the coldness of the winter air. Her eyes looked lost, alone and miserable. And her lips looked like they hadn't told a story in quite a long time.

"Oh Wendy, I've missed you and the lads so much." He said happily with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Oh we've missed you to." Replied Wendy returning the hug.

"How are the boys anyway?" asked Slightly who had let go of Wendy and was now staring up at her.

She didn't know what to say, because the last thing that had happened before she left, was the boys teasing her cruelly. So she decided to forget all about the morning's events and gave him an answer in general.

"Oh well – they miss you of course – and they can still be perfectly horrid little creatures – but I love them all the same." Wendy said trying to make her words believable. However it wasn't such a hard task, as she was speaking the truth.

The next thing she knew, Aunt Millicent had appeared at the door.

"Oh Wendy. How are you my child?" asked Aunt Millicent hugging her rather tightly, for a woman who was always so restrained.

"Come in and sit by the fire. It is starting to get quite chilly out here." She said rubbing her hands together. "Slightly, help Wendy with her luggage dear."

She then picked up her velvety dark-green dress and walked gracefully back into the house.

"It's okay Wendy. You go inside. I'll get your things." Slightly said sweetly.

"Why thankyou. You've become a real gentleman." Wendy said kindly.

However, as she said these words, she noticed the smile on his face fade.

"Yes a real gentleman." He said repeating her words, as he looked down at the steps. It seemed as if he was reminiscing of when he was young and roaming freely through the forests of Neverland, and now he was older and caged up in a boring old house filled with books and studying.

Wendy walked into the hallway and looked around. She then quickly ran after her Aunt, but slowed down once she got closer to the room her Aunt had entered. Wendy walked as gracefully as she possibly could, into the room where her Aunt was sitting up straight in a large chair near the fire.

She stopped at the door and waited for her Aunt to signal for her to sit down.

"Wendy don't loiter around the door, it's not lady-like. Come sit down." Aunt Millicent said in an annoyed tone.

Wendy walked quickly over to sit in the chair opposite from her Aunt. In between the two chairs sat a little table, which was laid out with a white tablecloth, and tea and biscuits sat on top.

_Hmm! Already starting to make me a woman. _Thought Wendy.

She stared at her Aunt waiting for her to say something.

"Wendy don't stare it's not polite, especially while someone is about to eat." Aunt Millicent said lifting her teacup to her lips.

_Where else am I supposed to look then? If I stare at the food, she'll think I'm a pig. And if I stare around the room she'll think I'm ignoring her. _Thought Wendy not knowing what to do, but nodded her head anyway to show that she was listening.

Aunt Millicent seemed to read her thoughts, because at that exact moment she said, "Always downcast your eyes into your tea-cup when you take a sip from it, and while replacing it back onto the plate, you must keep your eyes still downcast. When you are not having tea, place your hands in your lap with the right hand over-lapping your left and look down at your lap. Otherwise people will think you're quite rude."

Wendy was dumbfounded. Was her Aunt seriously saying that your eyes had to be a certain way when you're eating, if you didn't want to look like a complete fool?

"Now when it comes to conversation topics, you must always start off with staring straight into the person's eyes, then you start up a conversation about family, or something that has no great significance. Just your basic gossip. That means no story telling etc. Your father did mention that you were still a little wild." Said Aunt Millicent rather harshly at the end.

Wendy chose to ignore this comment and continued to nod her head in agreement, which only brought more hurtful comments from her Aunt.

"Wendy I do wish you would stop nodding your head. It makes you look ridiculous and it looks like it will fall off any minute."

"Yes Aunt." Wendy said keeping her head still this time.

Aunt Millicent looked at Wendy and seemed to be figuring something out in her head.

"Wendy from now on you are to learn how to speak French, walk like a lady, cook and sew. Maybe a few other small things won't hurt either." She said thoughtfully.

Wendy felt trapped. Her Aunt had just come out with her plans for Wendy just like that. She didn't even bother to have a proper conversation with Wendy.

"As I see it, your parents have let you run wild long enough. It's going to take some time to tame you my dear." Aunt Millicent said in a very snobby tone.

Wendy had finally grown very angry with her Aunt's picky and spiteful comments and yelled, "Excuse me Aunt Millicent, I am not an animal. How dare you refer to me as one." She had now risen from her seat and slammed her hand onto the fragile coffee table.

Aunt Millicent raised her dainty little hand to her chest and said in a quiet tone, "Good gracious child. Your going to need more work then I thought."

She didn't even acknowledge Wendy's point of view.

Wendy sat down with her arms crossed and looked away.

"You're not even listening to me." She said quietly.

"Of course I'm listening to you. And it's occurred to me that we must get you started on your lessons straight away. This afternoon you will begin your French lesson. Now have some tea and biscuits." Aunt Millicent said bringing her cup of tea to her lips once again.

"If you don't mind Aunt. I had a rather large breakfast. I might go and settle into my room." Wendy said more politely this time, but still looked away from her Aunt.

Aunt Millicent placed her cup back onto the coffee table and said, not looking at Wendy, "If you wish it."

Wendy had already started to leave the room, but stopped a few metres away from the door when she heard her Aunts' words. She spun around, with her eyes looking very curiously at her Aunt. Her Aunt looked up at Wendy and said, "Is everything all right my dear? Did I say something?"

Wendy could only stare at her Aunt as she reminisced on Peters' words a few years ago.

Flash Back 

(Just as Wendy announced their departure from Neverland to go back to London)

_**Peter: **If you wish it._

_**Slightly: **If you wish it?_

_**Peter: **IF YOU WISH IT!_

_**Peter flies away.**_

End Flash Back 

"Wendy? Are you all right?" asked Aunt Millicent once again.

"Oh yes. I'm fine. Just a little sleepy, that's all." She replied once she realised where she was again.

She then walked out of the room and ran up the stairs to find her bedroom. But she hadn't been to her Aunt's new house before so she didn't have a clue where she was. There were just so many doors.

All of a sudden Slightly popped out of nowhere and said, "Wendy follow me. I'll show you to your room."

So without a word Wendy followed Slightly down the hallway, which was filled with antique artefacts and paintings. Slightly finally stopped at the end of the hallway at a huge door. It wasn't on the left of the hallway or the right, it was right at the back where the hallway stopped.

"I hope you like it. I asked mother to let you have this room. It's the best in the house."

Wendy smiled and said, "Thankyou Slightly. You're the only one who understands me at the moment."

"What do you mean?" he asked with curiosity written all over his face.

But when he saw Wendy's confused expression he said, "I'll leave you to get settled."

"Thankyou." Wendy said, relieved that she didn't have to explain herself.

Slightly walked away and thought. _Poor Wendy. She seems so depressed. Peter you better show up soon. Wendy needs you now._

He then disappeared into his own room, down the hall from Wendy's.

Wendy slowly turned the doorknob. Once she opened it all the way she looked straight in front of her. There stood a huge window. She smiled.

_Slightly you sneaky thing. Getting me a room with a window like this. I hate to disappoint you Slightly but Peter is never coming back. Not now, not ever. I mean - if that was your intention._ Thought Wendy.

She noticed that all of her belongings had been put away and her bed was already turned down. How sweet of Slightly she thought. She walked across her room to open her window. She looked outside. What had started out as a warm sunny day was turning into a cold cloudy day. It was like whenever Peter left Neverland, the weather immediately changed from summer to winter.

_Maybe that's what happened today. This morning it was sunny and I had felt an invisible force save me from my death. Maybe it was Peter. No Wendy. It couldn't have been. There was no one there. Now it's cloudy and cold and no one is here to save me from something I fear more than death itself. Growing up._

She now walked gloomily over to her new bed (which was draped with a royal blue bedspread), which was facing the window and flopped onto it sleepily.

A few hours later Wendy was awoken by someone standing over her as she lay on her bed. She fluttered her sleepy blue eyes open and tried to make out whom it was.

"Wendy wake up. It's time." Said the voice.

"For what?" asked Wendy.

"For your French lesson. Mother is waiting for you downstairs." Answered Slightly.

"Oh. I thought you were… never mind." Said Wendy in a surprisingly disappointed tone.

Slightly knew what Wendy was thinking. She had thought that it was Peter. But he decided not to mention it.

Wendy hurried downstairs and noticed Aunt Millicent waiting impatiently.

"Wendy you are fifteen minutes late. Explain yourself?" she said angrily.

"I was sleeping Aunt." Said Wendy who was disorientated.

"Not good enough Wendy. For that you will spend an extra hour in your French lesson." Aunt Millicent said turning to lead Wendy to her study.

"But I was only fifteen minutes late." Wendy complained, annoyed that she would have to endure an extra hour of study.

Aunt Millicent stopped in her tracks and turned to face Wendy.

"Yes you were. Now you miss out on dinner for disrespecting your elders."

_What is going on? _Thought Wendy. _Is this going to turn into a labour camp or something? Well I better not do anything else wrong. Or I'll miss out on breakfast too._

"Please accept my apology Aunt." Said Wendy more maturely.

"I accept your apology but you will still be missing out on dinner. Now go into the study." Aunt Millicent said calmly.

"All right." Wendy said miserably.

Aunt Millicent followed.

"Now sit down on that chair and we'll begin." She said waving her hand elegantly at a chair behind a relatively large desk.

So Wendy slid into the chair as gracefully as she could and began her two-hour lesson of French.

Two hours later Wendy climbed the stairs to her room with the French alphabet still swimming in her head and once again flopped down onto her bed.

_Oh why me? What did I do to deserve this? _Wendy's thoughts were suddenly disrupted by Slightly who whispered, "Wendy are you awake? I brought you some dinner."

Wendy rolled over to face Slightly with the food in his hands.

"Oh thankyou Slightly. I'm absolutely starving." She said out loud.

"Sshh! Mother will hear us. I'm not supposed to be up here." He whispered as he sat down beside her on her bed.

"Oh all right. Sorry." She whispered back.

"It's all right." He said still trying to keep quiet.

Wendy ate her dinner like a child. She didn't bother to use her knife or fork. She picked up the chicken, vegetables etc with her hands.

Slightly looked quite amused by this sight.

Once she had finished licking her greasy fingers Slightly said, "Wendy? You've grown a lot since I last saw you. That was about two or three years ago."

"Really? Was it that long ago, since we saw each other?" asked Wendy looking at him astonished.

"I'm afraid so. Remember mother sent me away to boarding school for a while as well." He said looking down miserably.

"Oh yes. How was that?" asked Wendy eyeing him curiously.

"Oh. It was okay for someone who's never had fun or an adventure before. If you were lucky, you were sent there without knowing what it was like to live. So you can see how that worked out for me." He said sarcastically.

"Oh that's horrible." Said Wendy looking down at her lap.

"Yeah it was. But Wendy can I ask you something?" he asked cautiously.

"I guess." Said Wendy, not sure whether she wanted to know what his question was.

"Um – well – did you ever think about Neverland, or Peter after we were brought back?"

Wendy had dreaded this question. But she replied as best she could without looking at Slightly.

"Oh yes of course. I couldn't forget about – well either of them."

"Oh me too. Well I better go to bed." Slightly said noticing Wendy's discomfort.

"Oh yes me too." Replied Wendy.

"Goodnight Wendy. Sweet dreams." He whispered gently as he got up from beside Wendy on the bed.

"Goodnight Slightly. Sleep well." She replied yawning.

Once he walked out of the room and shut the door leaving her in the dark, Wendy cried silently into her pillow.

"Oh Peter. I'm sorry I left you. I miss you so much. Please come back and get me. I want to leave here and never look back. Please. Oh please. Peter if you can hear me, come and take me back with you. I need you."

Outside the window a young boy was floating in mid air listening to Wendy's every word. He quietly flew into the open window, stood in his famous stance and watched Wendy cry. He felt a tear trickle down his own cheek.

_Why am I crying? There's nothing wrong with me. Is there?_ He thought confused.

_But then again there is. My Wendy is sad. I hate to see anything of mine sad._

So Peter walked over to Wendy's bed and kneeled down beside her. Once there he ran his filthy left hand through her long brownish-blonde hair and leaned over to whisper into her ear, "It's okay Wendy. I'm here now. Forget them Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me, where you'll never, never have to worry about grown up things again."

_Well what did you think? Did you like it? I hope you did. I put a lot of effort into this chapter. I felt this was a rather important chapter. Mainly because we get to hear from Slightly's point of view. And Peter finally starts to come into the story._

_P.S. Sorry about how late this is. Dam document manager, which is finally working, locked me out forever. So if I ever don't post something for ages Document manager has most likely stuffed me up. Once again. Sorry. And enjoy. _

Tidus' girl Candy


	6. Chapter 6: Blinded Love

**Chapter 6: Blinded Love**

Wendy stopped crying and sat up in her bed abruptly and whispered, "Slightly…is that you?" as she looked through the darkness of her room.

Peter seemed a little confused that she didn't realise that it was him.

However he replied, "No Wendy, it's me, Peter," now standing up from his kneeling position beside her bed, waiting for her to see him any moment and run into his outstretched arms.

She instead continued to call out. "Who's there? Look whoever you are, I'm not afraid of you." She said shakily not seeming to believe her own words.

Peter was growing more confused by the second. He could understand why Wendy might not be able to see him, as it was quite dark. But what he couldn't understand was why she didn't hear him talking to her.

"Wendy, I'm over here. Here I am." He said waving his arms around and stepping towards her.

As he did so he realised how much older she was then him in appearance. She was at least five inches taller then he was and he felt weird, knowing that the last time he had been this close to her, he had been the one towering over her, in much the same way.

He stood there and watched as she frantically searched the room, not even realising that she was standing right next to her intruder.

Obviously she had heard him from before or she wouldn't be looking for him.

She rushed to turn on the light. He was suddenly blinded for a minute but when his eyes finally adjusted, he saw how much Wendy really had changed.

She still had the same brownish-blonde hair, amazing red lips and sparkling blue eyes, but she had grown so much and he felt so small.

"Wendy are you okay? I heard you calling and…" started Slightly who had just entered the room and was now breathing in long deep breaths, as he saw a sight that was too hard to believe.

"Peter you're back!" he cried happily and ran to him, embracing him in a hug as soon as he reached Peter.

Slightly was now the same age as Peter and the same height.

So Peter didn't realise at first who was jumping all over him until he heard Slightly say, "Peter it's me Slightly." As he let go of Peter and stared at him with pure joy.

Peter felt annoyed at first that Slightly was the one who was in his arms, when it should have been Wendy. But finally let a cheeky smile rest upon his lips as he greeted his old friend returning the hug.

Wendy watched as Slightly hugged the air in front of him.

She asked him in a confused manner, "Uh…Slightly…what are you doing?"

Slightly turned to face Wendy and said, "Peter's come back Wendy. Look don't you see." Gesturing towards Peter, who stood there staring at Wendy with a hopeful gaze.

She shook her head angrily and whispered, "Stop playing games Slightly. It's not funny."

Wendy then dashed back under the covers of her bed and started to cry quietly into her pillow.

Slightly turned to Peter and said, "She can't see you Peter. Why?"

Peter looked over at Wendy's bed with unwanted tears forming in his eyes and replied, "I don't know."

"What can we do?" asked Slightly believing that Peter knew the answer to this difficult question.

Peter only shook his blonde-tipped locks on his head and whispered in the most heartbreaking tone, anyone had ever heard him use, "She's forgotten me. She's grown up. Grown ups…don't know how to believe." And with those last few words being said, Peter flew back out of the open window, with great difficulty, and all the way back into the starry night above.

Slightly was so shocked by the whole situation, that he didn't even have time to explain that Wendy hadn't forgotten him and that there was most likely a reasonable explanation as to why Wendy did not see him tonight.

He gradually turned away from the window and walked over to Wendy's bed. He patted her back comfortingly under the sheets and said, "Wendy. What happened? You didn't see Peter did you?"

She stopped crying and whispered, "Yes, I did see him. I knew he was there the whole time."

"What?" cried Slightly as he reframed from the comfort he was just giving her.

"If you saw him, why didn't you say so?' he cried.

"Because you didn't see the look on his face when he saw me. He was so sad and confused and I didn't want him to see me the way I am, ever again. It was for the best." Wendy said miserably.

"But…he... was right there Wendy. You could have at least acknowledged the fact that he had come back to see you." Slightly said in sheer bewilderment.

"No Slightly I couldn't. Peter only remembers the girl who was always smaller then him. The girl who was the same age, who was always so carefree and young. Now I am taller, older and have rules to abide by. And I am so grown up. Peter was right Slightly. Grown ups don't know how to believe."

* * *

**A/N: **_Yay! Chapter six is up and ready to be read. I couldn't sleep all night knowing that this chapter was just waiting to be made. I only got about three hours sleep last night and now it's like 7.00 am and I just couldn't resist typing it up. I hope it's good enough, or I just should have slept in. LOL!_

_Read and Review please. _

_All constructive and helpful reviews are welcome._

_**P.S. **I am aware that I changed my pen name. I thought it was more appropriate, as I am currently into Final Fantasy X._

_Tidus' girl Candy. _


	7. Chapter 7: A lesson worth learning

**Chapter 7: A lesson worth learning**

The next morning Wendy awoke to someone banging loudly on her door and then the ear piercing whiny voice of her aunt telling her it was time to get up.

"What time is it?" Wendy groaned without thinking.

"Wendy how dare you ask me a question as ill-mannered as that. Get up right now or I shall have your breakfast cleared from the table and you can go hungry." Aunt Millicent replied with the same usual strict, vindictive voice.

"Yes aunt." Wendy replied as she crawled out of bed still feeling miserable from the night before.

She stood on the carpet at the side of her bed and blinked a few times before the blurriness disappeared from her sleepy bright blue eyes.

"Oh what a night." Wendy yawned as she stretched her arms up way above her head and yawned yet again.

_I'm glad I did what I did though. It had to be done and it's not like I can just leave at Peter's request anyway. Plus I was afraid if he did ask me to go with him, I wouldn't have been able to say no. I'm not a young girl anymore, I'm just not right for Peter. There should be plenty of other young girls that Peter can find. Why does he keep coming back to me?_

Wendy snapped out of her painful thoughts and decided to have a shower. She didn't want her aunt to throw away her breakfast.

&&&&&&&

It was about ten minutes later that Wendy walked into the dining room, to find that Aunt Millicent was waiting in her chair, at the far end of the table, with a grim look upon her face.

When she noticed that Wendy was now in the room she looked up and said in a quiet, stern manner, "Wendy my dear, we are certainly going to have to get you more prepared for the morning's activities. You are showing a great lack in the field of waking up on time. I have now decided that until you can accomplish this new little aspiration of yours, you will be awake at four in the morning and you can help cook breakfast in the kitchen. That way you can get practice on your cooking skills. It's the best of both worlds."

Wendy couldn't believe her ears. _Four in the morning? No way. It was absolutely ridiculous._ However she decided to keep quite about the matter and restrain herself from arguing, otherwise her aunt might make her get up at three in the morning to collect the eggs from the chicken coop as well.

Wendy then replied as politely as she could without sounding sarcastic, "That sounds interesting Aunt. I am looking forward to becoming skilled at cooking."

She then sat down and began to eat her eggs and bacon.

Her aunt eyed Wendy with suspicion, but Wendy gave her a sincere smile and that put her aunt at ease.

&&&&&&&

"I am so, never going to learn another French word as long as I live." Wendy complained as she dragged her feet along the carpet in the hallway, as she headed towards her room for the night.

"Somehow I don't think that's an option." Said a voice coming from behind her.

Wendy spun around startled by the reply of the familiar voice.

She raised her left hand to her chest and breathed heavily, "Slightly, you scared me."

"Sorry Wendy." He said smiling slyly. It was almost as if he was amused by the fact that he had scared her.

"So how was it?" he asked.

"How was what?" asked Wendy confused by his unspecific question.

"Your day." He said simply as he pulled out a little brown sack and began to toss it back and forth in his hands.

Wendy followed the sack with her eyes and became dizzy after a few seconds. So she shook her head and faced Slightly once more and replied bluntly, "Oh you know, the usual study, no fun."

"Oh." He replied seeming to ignore her as he found his new toy more amusing.

Wendy frowned in annoyance and said, "Well I'm going to bed. Goodnight." And headed off towards the end of the hallway.

Slightly looked up and called after her, "Wendy wait. I have something for you."

She stopped and turned around with her eyebrows raised.

When he caught up with her he handed her the brown sack and said, "Here."

Wendy held it up in her hand and looked at it with a look of confusion on her face and asked, "Uh…what is it?"

He gave her the same sly smile as before, and replied deviously, "You'll know what it's for, when you want to know."

Before Wendy could question him any further, he had run up the hallway and slammed his door shut.

"Sometimes he can be the strangest little man I've ever met." Stated Wendy to no one in particular as she gazed at the brown sack in her hand.

_I wonder what's inside?_ Wendy thought as she pulled the little string on the bag and peered inside.

_Strange. There's nothing there._ Wendy thought once more and closed the bag back up and as soon as she entered her room she threw it in the direction of her large window, and it landed on the edge of where the window and her carpet met.

"Time for bed." she whispered to herself, as crawled into her warm bed, not bothering to change out of her clothes and tried not to think of her early awakening in the morning.

&&&&&&&

"Wendy?" _'Knock, knock, knock'._

Wendy rolled over in her bed to face the door.

"Wendy? Are you awake?" whispered Slightly from the other side of the door.

"Leave me alone. I'm tired." Grumbled Wendy, not realising that he was in fact waking her up for her early morning.

"Wendy. It's three-thirty. You have to be ready by four, remember?" he questioned.

Wendy sat up in her bed abruptly with her eyes wide open.

"Oh my gosh. I totally forgot. How did you know Slightly?" She asked from her bed.

"Oh I heard mother talking to the cook last night after dinner. I wanted to wake up at the same time, just in case you overslept." He whispered.

"Oh thank you so much Slightly. You have no idea just how much you've helped me." Wendy said kicking off the blankets quickly and running to the door.

When she opened it she saw that Slightly was already dressed and wide-awake.

"Oh I think I have a pretty good idea." He smiled referring to her last statement.

He then moved aside and said, "You better go have a shower. There's plenty of hot water left. Don't worry. I didn't use it all."

"Thank you so much. You have helped me so much since I've been here. You really have." She said smiling sleepily.

"Well I have been living here with _'her'_ for three years now practically. I think I would've developed a few skills." He said snootily.

But Wendy knew he was just playing.

Wendy then hurried towards the bathroom and closed the door behind her as she entered.

She walked over to the cupboard below the basin, and bent down to grab a towel, but on the way she caught her reflection in the mirror above.

She stood up from the cupboard below and looked at the girl who had looked at her so strangely at the Darling house.

"Wendy what are you doing?" Asked the girl.

Wendy was shocked. She saw her face turn a pale colour and she felt faintish. This girl was talking to her. But it wasn't just any girl, it was Wendy's reflection.

Wendy answered the girl not quite knowing what else to do.

"Um…I'm going for a shower." She said clutching onto her towel in fright.

The girl shook her head and said in an annoyed manner, "No I mean what are you doing with your life? Why did you not want to see Peter yesterday night?"

Wendy grew upset and whispered, "Because I didn't think he'd want to know a grown up. Especially a grown up who doesn't believe."

"Oh Wendy wake up to yourself. You may not be a child any longer, but you can still believe." The girl said irritated by Wendy's silliness.

"But what does it matter if I believe anyway? Peter will want a young girl in the end, not some grown up woman. I could never make him happy." Wendy said sadly, as fresh tears started to appear in the corners of her eyes.

"Wendy…if you want something bad enough, it will come your way. Don't push your hopes and dreams away because they seem too impossible." And with that being said, the girl quietened and returned to Wendy's normal reflection.

Wendy realised this after minutes of trying to ask the girl more questions and getting no reply.

_'Knock, knock, knock.'_

Wendy jolted as someone began knocking on the bathroom door.

"Yes, who is it?" She asked.

"It's me Slightly. It's a quarter to four now. I just thought I'd tell you because I haven't heard you turn the shower on yet."

"Oh no. I'm going to have to rush now." Wendy said to herself panicking. "I won't be long." She said to Slightly as she hung her towel up on the towel-rack.

As Wendy stood under the shower, letting the warm water trickle over her body, she spoke softly to herself, "It's not that I push away my hopes and dreams, they just seem to…slip away from me, from being under all this pressure. If I could, I would go back to the way I was before I came back to London three years ago. But that's impossible."

* * *

_**A/N: **Well there goes Wendy pushing away her hopes and dreams again because they are too 'impossible'. I think there's a little bit more to it then just the pressure of everyone around her don't you?_

_Hey everyone. I hope this chapter was good enough for you. I have been on a roller coaster of brainstorms lately and I am hoping that it hasn't been all for nothing. There is more good stuff coming your way. There is going to be a fair amount of chapters in this story, so don't think I haven't shown much of Peter or anything, his part will come into play at the right moment. But I guarantee that it won't be long before he comes in. So enjoy._

_**P.S. **I am going on holidays for two weeks starting on the 30th of December. That is this Thursday. So if you don't hear from me, that's why. But while I'm away I will be writing a whole lot more for this story, so a little bit of waiting won't kill anyone now will it? LOL! Anyway I have decided that after I come back, my usual updating day will be every Friday night._

_Thanks everyone._

_Tidus' girl Candy_


	8. Chapter 8: Wounds Beneath the Skin

**Chapter 8: Wounds Beneath the Skin**

Wendy was by now dressed and had arrived downstairs in the kitchen on time. Thanks to Slightly.

As the cook handed her an apron Wendy thanked her politely and the cook smiled back without a reply.

She motioned for Wendy to follow her into the main area of the kitchen, which was surrounded, by numerous pots and pans.

Wendy covered her mouth suddenly as a tired yawn escaped. Her eyes watered a bit which made the redness that already surrounded them even more noticeable.

The cook looked concerned and said, "My dear…are you alright?"

Wendy nodded and removed her hand to say, "Yes…I'm just a little tired that's all."

The cook shook her head sadly and said, "If it was up to me, I'd let you get all the sleep you need. A growing girl needs her rest. How else does that aunt of yours expect you to complete your studies and all the rest?"

Wendy gaped as the woman turned her back. She couldn't believe what this lady had just said about her aunt. _Why on earth did she work for her if she despised her so much?_

The lady turned to face Wendy and what she said next, Wendy swore the lady had read her mind.

"Oh don't get me wrong miss Wendy, I think your aunt is a very wise woman, but her methods of some tasks are quite extreme." She explained.

"I understand perfectly." Said Wendy letting a grim smile appear on her lips.

The cook gave her a sympathetic look before saying, "Anyway we better get moving. We have to have breakfast on the table by seven, and trust me, we are going to need all the time we can get."

Wendy's eyes widened. Three hours to prepare breakfast? Now she knew why her own mother was so exhausted all the time. Wendy had never thought about this side of life. She had always been treated like a princess, now that she came to think of it. She got anything she asked for…well almost anything.

Wendy followed the woman out through the kitchen door, which led to a chicken coop and in the distance she saw a few cows in a shack, obviously waiting to be milked.

"Alright, now, I want you to go into the chicken coop and collect all the eggs you find in the nest boxes." The woman explained handing her a cane basket.

Wendy received it with a look on her face that said, _I'll try my best._

As Wendy entered the coop she was greeted by a rather unpleasant smell. She upturned her nose and tried to hurry. A few chickens decided that it was rather funny to fly right into her face as she walked past, leaving white and brown feathers sitting in her hair.

She then came to a chicken that was sitting protectively over its nest box. She reached under its feathers and pulled out one large, creamy coloured egg with ease. However as she went to reach for the next egg from underneath it, the chicken flew up and scratched its claws against her left eyeball.

She dropped the basket frantically, flung her hands to her eye and ran out of the coop screaming. The cook greeted her worriedly, trying to find out what the problem was.

She saw the blood seep from her eye and turned quite pale. She rushed Wendy back inside to the kitchen and grabbed a freezing cold icepack out of the freezer. She told Wendy to sit on a stool at the bench and wait until she got aunt Millicent.

Wendy sat there holding the icepack against her eye painfully.

_This is just great. Now I would probably go blind in my left eye._

A few minutes later aunt Millicent rushed over to her with a rather concerned look in her eyes. She was still in her nightclothes with a night robe wrapped around her.

"Wendy dear." She exclaimed as she cupped her hands around Wendy's face trying to examine her eye. "Show me your eye."

She shook her head and said, "No…it hurts."

"Please Wendy…I must know how bad it is, so I know whether to call the doctor or not." She explained.

Wendy reluctantly removed the icepack from her left eye crying in pain, which hurt even more as the tears washed over the cut, stinging her.

"Oh my…" Aunt Millicent trailed off as she saw the blood slowly seeping from the corners of her eye.

"Madam Cherry…please stay here with Wendy while I go to call the doctor." Aunt Millicent requested as she left the room with a hand over her mouth.

The cook whose name was now known as Madam Cherry sat beside Wendy rubbing her arms soothingly as she tried to calm Wendy down.

However, Wendy wished it were her own mother here at the moment.

A while later Aunt Millicent came back and instructed Wendy to follow her up to Wendy's room. She said that the doctor was on his way and he wanted her to lie down, so as to not cause further damage. He also said that the ice pack was a smart move by Madam Cherry.

As Aunt Millicent and Wendy left Madam Cherry in the kitchen, the cook felt that breakfast would most likely not happen at all that morning.

* * *

Aunt Millicent helped Wendy walk up the stairs to her room. As they walked through the hallway Slightly came out of his room to greet them smiling, but frowned as soon as he saw that all was not well.

"Wendy what happened?" he asked concerned, as he saw the icepack pressed firmly against her left eye.

"Slightly we don't have time for you right now. Go make yourself useful downstairs. Wendy is not well." Barked Aunt Millicent.

Slightly was a little shocked at his mother's sudden anger and nodded taking one last glance at Wendy before running down the stairs.

* * *

"Well it doesn't look too serious…just a scratch." Explained the doctor who was now sitting by Wendy, who was lying down in her bed.

"It hurts." Wendy whimpered trying not to cry, fearing that it would cause her more pain.

"I bet it does." Replied the doctor. "That's why I'm going to cover it up with a patch so that you don't keep moving it all the time. I'll also have to put a black eye patch over the top which will secure it down." He said as he began to pull out his tools.

"But before I do that, I'm going to have to flush your eye out with disinfectant. You may have dirt trapped in the eye." He said pulling out a small bottle from his black leather suitcase.

"Will it hurt?" Whispered Wendy.

"Yes I'm afraid, but just for a bit." He said reassuringly.

Wendy decided to be brave as her aunt held onto her hand for support.

"Okay look straight at me." He instructed.

Wendy followed orders and looked at the doctor who dripped a few drops of liquid into her throbbing eye.

"Arghh!" Wendy screamed in pain as the liquid seeped into her eye flushing out a few grains of dirt.

"There we go all done." The old doctor soothed, as he patted her hair. "Now we only have to put the patches on."

Wendy nodded glad that the worst was over.

* * *

As the man began to attach the materialized patch to Wendy's eye, a boy in the window watched on, rather scared for Wendy.

* * *

That night Wendy had a hard time sleeping, even though her aunt had given her a sleeping pill.

She tossed and turned and finally threw back the covers as she jumped up out of her bed. She walked over to her mirror to inspect her new patch for the first time.

She giggled a bit realising that she looked like a pirate.

More memories flooded her mind again of Peter. Her smile disappeared and she walked over to her window to look out at the sky and found that something was coming closer and closer in the distance. Like a shooting star. Wendy backed away from the window and ducked under her bed, afraid that it was a comet headed straight for her room.

However the comet never seemed to arrive, so Wendy crawled out from under her bed and tiptoed over to the window. Nothing was there.

She opened her window and walked out onto the balcony. She looked down and saw nothing had fallen at all. Taking one last glance around at the night sky, she turned to walk back into her room, only to find that a young boy was standing in front of her.

She went to scream in shock, only to be stopped by his left hand covering her lips. He raised his right finger to his lips and whispered, "Sshhh."

Wendy nodded and he removed his hand. For a moment they stood looking at each other in the moonlight. Both with rather curious expressions upon their faces.

Finally Peter spoke up, "You know, you would make a funny-looking pirate." He said smiling.

Wendy grinned a meaningful smile for the first time in a very long time.

"Like you can talk. You looked pretty silly yourself when you dressed up in Hook's clothes that night on the ship." She replied cheekily.

"Me…look silly…never." he declared and flew a few feet into the air so that he could stare into her eyes at the same level, (well one eye at least).

"So…what are you doing here?" she asked looking at him seriously.

"To clear a few things up that's all." He replied giving her the same look.

"Oh…like what?" she questioned.

His expression looked a little angry and he said, "Like the other night when I came here and you pretended not to see me."

"What…how do you know I pretended not to see you?" she asked mystified.

"Well for one thing you told me just now, and…I have my sources." He said sounding strangely mature for a moment.

"What sources?" she asked folding her arms.

"Look, the fact is, when I first came to see you at your house, you clearly stated that you didn't ever want to see a flying pan again, and when I saved you when you fell out of the window, you pretended not to see me then as well." He said also folding his arms as he began to fly a little higher above her.

"What? I never said that." She argued.

"Yes you did…just after you went upstairs from that place with food." He said pouting.

Wendy let a smile form upon her lips as she realised what he meant. She giggled a little which made him frown.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

"Oh…it's just that…what I actually said was, that I never wanted to see a frying pan again." She said trying to contain her smile.

His furrowed eyebrows relaxed as he began to understand, only to ask, "What's a frying pan?"

"Oh it's just something you use to cook food on." She explained.

"Ah…alright then." He said smiling.

Wendy suddenly remembered his previous words. He had said that he had saved her from when she fell out of the window at her home.

"Peter…it was you who saved me from falling?" she whispered.

He looked at her in bewilderment.

"Yes Wendy…didn't you see me? I was talking to you the whole time and you ignored me." He said folding his arms once more.

Wendy looked at him confused and said, "Well, at least I now know why I was shoved so forcefully back through the window."

His bright eyes showed sadness and he said, "I hope I didn't hurt you. But I didn't have to save you. I was on my way back to Neverland. And then you didn't even bother to thank me for what I did."

He started fuming as he said his last words. However he didn't mean it. He would have saved Wendy no matter what the circumstances were.

"Peter, believe me. I didn't see you." She explained walking towards him.

He eyed her with a look of discomfort as she did this and so she stopped in her tracks.

He then whispered angrily sounding very hurt, "How can I believe you, when you don't even believe yourself?"

Wendy was cut deep by his words and tone of voice and whispered, "Please leave Peter…and don't ever come back."

He looked shocked and went to apologise, but he was Peter Pan, he didn't have anything to be sorry for.

"I think I will. But I want you to have something before I go." He said gently. He took her right hand and placed something in it.

She opened her hand and saw his kiss that she had so carelessly thrown out of the window that day.

Wendy looked pleased to see it but suddenly did the opposite to what Peter expected. She stuffed it back into his hand and said, "I don't want it. It means nothing to me anymore."

With that being said she ran back through the open window and shut it slowly. She then stared into his eyes through the glass, with a mixture of sadness and anger, as she slowly turned the lock at the top of the window.

A sign that even Peter understood. He was no longer welcome in her life. No longer a part of it. She was locking him out.

Wendy watched as he flew away into the sky once more. Once again leaving her life. Leaving her behind. But this time it was for good.

* * *

_**A/N: **Well I'm back again. Yey! Read and Review pretty please! Enjoy!_

_**P.S. **I changed my pen name for the last time for an important purpose._

_Yunie Tidus_


	9. Chapter 9: A Stolen Kiss

**Chapter 9: A Stolen Kiss**

Six months later Wendy stood at the front door, dressed in a gown of light blue, held up by thin star-speckled silver straps, ultimately bringing out her eyes magnificently.

She was to be attending her first social gathering with her parents and family tonight. They were to see what she had become in the time she had been with Aunt Millicent. Her aunt was only anticipating the fact that this was all her fine work. She had, "_tamed the wild animal."_

Wendy was feeling a little nervous. She didn't know what to expect. _Would she please her parents? Would her father accept her as his daughter once more?_ Speaking of which, this would be the first time that she would see him and her family for the first time since leaving the Darling house.

She held her hand to her stomach, trying to breathe as she felt her corset digging into her stomach. She had lost a lot of weight in order to look her best for this night. Not that she needed to. _But it was first impressions that made you who you'd be in five years time_, she remembered her aunt's words clearly.

_Just breathe Wendy._

She glanced into the full-length mirror, hanging in the foyer next to her. There stood, young miss Wendy, tall and elegant. Graceful, beautiful, intelligent and all grown up.

_Maybe growing up wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe it was something I could get used to. Maybe…_

She reached up to pull a tiny strand of hair out of her face. But after a few moments, she pulled it back down and smiled cheekily. _Maybe not too grown up._

Her blondish hair was done up into a loose bun on top of her head, with little tresses of hair hanging loosely from it, shining like gold.

Around her neck sat a gold necklace her aunt had given her. She frowned and pulled her hands behind her neck, removing the piece of jewellery from her body. No amount of riches or style could ever replace the one thing that she longed for most.

"Wendy are you ready?" called her aunt as she elegantly ran down the bottom hallway towards her, looking quite stressed mind you.

"Yes aunt, almost for an hour now." She replied giggling at her aunt's worried look.

_It was just a simple gathering of her family, what was there to be worried about?_

"Oh Wendy, you should make sure you are perfect tonight. Remember everything we went over in the last two weeks? Don't rest your elbows on the dinner table, don't chew fast, no staring, no…" she trailed off as Wendy cut her off.

"Aunt Millicent calm down. It's only family after all." Wendy said smiling reassuringly, patting her aunt's hand.

Her aunt gave her a rather strange, discomforting look before nodding and instructing Wendy to follow her outside to the carriage. _Yes a carriage. They had to arrive in style after all._

Wendy was about to leave when she heard the stairs creak behind her. She turned around swiftly, her gown swishing around her feet gracefully.

There stood Slightly with eyes of bewilderment. Wendy had not spoken to Slightly very much, since the night she had told Peter that she never wanted him to come back. She had a feeling that Slightly was Peter's source of information. Peter wasn't very well skilled in hiding the truth most of the time.

She had questioned Slightly as well that night. He had denied everything. But she knew he was lying.

Now here he stood, looking at her as if she was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen.

"Wendy…" he trailed off looking at her in her gown, looking like a real lady.

"Yes Slightly…what is it?" she questioned as she raised an eyebrow from under the lock of gold hair hanging in her face.

"You…you look like an angel." He whispered in awe. Eyes wide and mouth in an 'O' like shape.

This statement shocked Wendy. She looked away and said, "You've never seen an angel Slightly have you? So how would you know what one looks like?"

He gazed at her, still in awe and whispered, "Why do I have to find a real angel when there's one in the foyer with me right now?"

Wendy seemed quite flattered by his words but frowned when she realised that she didn't have time for childish nonsense.

"Slightly it's just a dress and some make up. Go find something better to do with your time." Wendy said brushing him off, as she headed outside towards the carriage, her gown trailing out behind her across the snow-covered footpath.

She felt somewhat horrible for what she had just said to Slightly, but it was true. She didn't have time for his games anymore. She had to focus on making a good impression tonight. All the studying, lessons, everything that had happened at Aunt Millicent's in the past six months had all led up to this night. She couldn't afford to ruin anything. Otherwise everything would have been a waste of time.

Wendy slid into the back seat of the carriage, with the help of the coachman, as he picked the end of her gown up off the ground and carefully laid it at her feet on the carriage floor. Her aunt sat in front of her, admiring her fine work.

Wendy smiled and her aunt smiled back and placed her hand on Wendy's, "Wendy this is it, tonight you show the woman you've become, to everyone. Tonight will be your future."

Wendy felt pretty happy about this, but a nagging feeling inside was making her feel scared and a touch confused. _Was this really it? If I stuffed up anything tonight would my life be ruined?_

She removed the thought from her mind and pictured seeing the looks upon her family's faces when she saw them. She wanted to please them so much. She wanted to tell them that she had done what they wanted and grown up. She wanted to hug them and say she loved them, and would never disappoint them again.

The carriage left the house with a jolt and Wendy looked out of the window at the stars. _Goodbye childhood dreams. Goodbye stories and games. Goodbye…everything else._

Wendy turned away from the window and stared down at her hands and twiddled them nervously. _Please help me tonight. Whoever hears this; please make sure I please my parents. I want them to look at me as if I was their daughter once more._

These thoughts and worries ran through Wendy's mind for the remainder of the ride, as she stared down at her lap with a furrowed brow.

* * *

"Wendy we're here." Aunt Millicent whispered.

Wendy looked up from her thoughts and said, "Hmm…"

"We're here my child. I'll leave the carriage first." She said as the coachman helped her out with his hand.

Wendy sat in the carriage, staring at the large rented out ballroom outside. She was nervous. So nervous that she didn't think she could go through with it.

"Miss are you all right?" questioned the coachman as he waited for her to step out of the carriage.

She stared at him for a few seconds as if she was considering saying, _no I'm not. I don't want to go in there._

But she simply smiled and breathed, "Of course I am." And took his hand as she was helped to land onto the pathway.

Her tiny shoes touched the ground and she felt a cold shiver shoot up her spine as a tiny piece of snow flung up onto the top of her foot.

She looked up to see aunt Millicent anxiously awaiting her to hurry up.

Wendy decided not to run however, because one: it wasn't lady like. Two: she could possibly fall and break her neck.

So she hurried along as best she could, steering clear of the two hazards mentioned above.

Wendy was now metres from the building and as she saw a butler open the door for both her and Aunt Millicent, she felt a wave of panic wash over her._ This was really it. No going back. This was the beginning of her life as a woman.

* * *

_

As Wendy entered the room it was dead quiet as faces turned to gaze upon her radiant beauty. A few gasps from the sides of the room made her feel even more uneasy. _Why are all these people looking at me? I'm just dressed up nicely that's all._ But after a few minutes of briefly looking around at the people, she realised that she knew hardly any of them at all. _What was going on? Her aunt had told her it was only family. Not people from all over the countryside._

She turned to give her aunt a questioning look, and her aunt only stared back with the same strange, discomforting look that she had given her back in the foyer. However, now was not the time to make a scene. She was to find her family and prove herself to them once and for all.

She looked around as the orchestra in the background began to start up and people began to sip from their wine glasses once more. Suddenly someone was tugging on the back of her gown. She turned around to see who it was. There looking up at her was the blue-eyed boy she had told bedtime stories to, a long time ago. Little Michael, looking at her in both happiness and shock.

She smiled happily and bent down to hug him affectionately.

"Michael, I missed you so much." She said with pure joy, her eyes shut tight.

He held onto her tightly and whispered, "I'm sorry Wendy."

Wendy opened her eyes confused and pulled away to look at him with concern. Now that she took more notice of him, he wasn't that young anymore, but his eyes were weeping tears like a child.

"Michael what do you mean?" she whispered as she wiped away his tears gently, with her right thumb.

"I was mean to you before you left. I made the others laugh at you when you ruined your breakfast." He said as if he'd been thinking of that day ever since she left.

Wendy felt tears come into her eyes as she said quietly, "Michael, that was a long time ago. I hope you didn't worry yourself over it the whole time I was gone." She said hoping that he would be okay.

"It doesn't matter if it was a long time ago or not, it still happened and that's all that matters." He said as he ran away into the crowd.

Wendy kneeled on the ground for a little longer, until her aunt rushed over commanding her to stand up before anyone saw her.

She rolled her eyes and stood up straightening out the wrinkles in her gown.

"Now go meet your parents, they're waiting for you over near the buffet stand." She instructed as she pointed towards the far, left hand corner of the room.

"And when you're done there, I have something to show you out in the courtyard." She said smiling happily as she flounced off towards the courtyard.

Wendy didn't know what had made her so happy, so she shrugged her shoulders lightly and refixed her gaze upon the buffet area.

_Okay…here I go._

Wendy slowly made her way past several people who all took at least a minute to gaze upon her, as if she was what Slightly had called her, _an angel._

Wendy cast her eyelids downwards politely and looked up only to make sure that she was headed in the right direction.

Five minutes later she had arrived at the buffet and was searching every face for her parents, until finally, she saw them talking to another couple seriously. Wendy gathered every ounce of confidence that she could muster and walked towards them as if in a dream. She hadn't seen them in so long that she felt that all this wasn't even real.

As she got closer she noticed that her father was laughing at something, but as soon as he caught a glance of Wendy out of the corner of his eye, he stopped.

She too stopped in her tracks and waited for his reaction or for him to say something.

He didn't say a word; he did however excuse himself and walk off into the crowd leaving her mother alone. Wendy's mother frowned after Wendy's father but turned back to Wendy with ecstasy.

She ran over to Wendy and embraced her warmly, which made Wendy feel at home and loved. She hugged back and heard her mother sob quietly.

Wendy pulled away, "Mother what's wrong?"

Her mother wiped away her tears and smiled, "Nothing is wrong, its just…I'm so glad to see you again. I love you so much."

Wendy didn't know what to say. She loved her mother, but she had sent her away to her aunt's for six months…away from her family.

Wendy looked away and stared into the crowd, "Where did father go?" she whispered.

Her mother's eyes showed uncertainty and she quickly blurted out, "He'll be back soon. Come with me. I have someone I'd like you to meet." She said as she motioned for Wendy to follow her lead.

Wendy obeyed and looked down saddened, because she knew that her father had seen her, he had just not wanted to talk to her.

Wendy stopped at her mother's side to see the couple her mother and father were talking to only moments ago, were looking down at her in awe.

_What was happening tonight?_

"James and Amelia, I'd like to introduce you to my daughter Wendy Moira Angela Darling." Her mother said smiling with happiness as she gestured towards Wendy affectionately.

The lady named Amelia smiled widely at Wendy and said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you at last."

Wendy gave her a look of confusion.

_At last? She didn't even know who these people were._

"Yes you are most certainly a very beautiful woman indeed." Complemented the man named James as he sipped from his wine glass.

Wendy looked at her mother as if looking for an explanation, but got distracted when her father came back towards them. She became nervous and looked away until he arrived by her side.

"Ah I see you've met my daughter then." Her father said proudly.

Wendy gazed up at her father quite shocked. He seemed somewhat pleased to show her off to these people, but he didn't have the nerve to even talk with her yet.

They nodded with large smiles upon their faces and began to talk once more.

Wendy was beginning to wonder why her parents seemed so eager for her to meet these people. She had never met them before. _Why were they so pleased to meet her?_

"She has the most beautiful eyes." Marvelled the woman, staring back at Wendy as she spoke with Wendy's mother.

Her mother nodded in agreement.

"And those lips, so scarlet and lush. The hair is like gold." The woman sighed, discussing Wendy as if she was a piece of art.

Wendy smiled back and excused herself from their presence, as she headed outside towards the courtyard. Her aunt had wanted her to meet her there for something. So it was the perfect excuse to escape from their watchful eyes.

* * *

A few minutes later Wendy ran outside to see her aunt talking to someone in a quiet manner. She couldn't quite see the persons face because they were facing away from her. But from what she saw from the back, she knew instantly that it was a young man, most likely no older then herself.

She became curious and crept quietly towards the rose garden her aunt and the man were standing in. She ducked out of her aunt's view and peeked her eyes over the hedge in front of her.

She could hear them now. Her aunt was talking about what kind of house was appropriate for a young couple. Wendy thought how strange this was, considering that she was supposed to be meeting her aunt here for something at this exact moment. She didn't want to interrupt, it would be rude.

So she began to creep away, only to get her gown caught on the hedge behind her, causing her to fall over onto the lawn below, letting out a cry. Seconds later she was being helped up by someone. It wasn't her aunt, it was the young man.

"Miss are you alright?" he asked concerned as he helped her up, with his hands gently holding onto hers.

She looked up to see her rescuer. As she did, she looked into the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen, reminding her of something she missed a lot.

She tried to say something but could only stutter, "I…I…think I am."

She was now standing in front of the man, looking into his caring eyes. But before the moment got any further, aunt Millicent interrupted.

"Wendy what are you doing? Look at your dress." She cried bending down, squinting at a miniscule dot on the end of it.

Wendy looked down and said, "It's nothing aunt. No one will notice."

The man seemed quite amazed by Wendy's down to earth answer. Most girls would have been crying or rushing to the nearest bathroom, scrubbing at the invisible mark furiously. Not Wendy.

Her aunt stood up once more and still seemed upset, but moved on with what was more important at that moment.

"Well I see you two have met now. Wendy this is James Matthew Barrie the second." Aunt Millicent said waving her hands towards him.

Wendy gave him a short smile, but wondered why it was so important that her aunt introduced her to him.

"James, this is Wendy Moira Angela Darling, my niece. Daughter to George and Mary Darling as you already know, as you've met them quite a few times already." Her aunt said, with a glimmer of happiness shining in her blue eyes.

He smiled and reached out a hand, which Wendy accepted; as he bowed his head down to kiss it courteously.

Once the introduction to each other was over, her aunt left them together, sneaking away quietly.

Wendy was quite confused by this point but decided to put her lessons from the last six months into practice.

She waited for him to speak first, which was the polite thing to do.

"I don't believe we've met before tonight." He said giving her a small smile, as he noticed that she was looking quite bewildered.

She looked up and said, "No I don't believe we have."

She found this whole situation rather awkward, so she excused herself politely and headed back inside, beginning to think that her aunt had set her up.

He looked after her sadly, thinking that she wanted to get away from him, because he wasn't the kind of person she was interested in being courted by.

* * *

Wendy arrived back inside scanning the room for her aunt and when she laid her eyes on her, talking to a group of more people she didn't yet know, she walked quickly over to her, holding up her dress, so as not to trip on it.

Her aunt saw her coming and let an expression of disappointment cross her face. Her aunt was about to say something but Wendy was too quick.

"Aunt Millicent I need to talk with you." Wendy fumed through clenched teeth, giving the other people a smile before frowning at her aunt again.

Her aunt nodded, not wanting Wendy to make a scene. So she followed Wendy over to a corner of the room.

That was when Wendy let everything boiling up inside of her explode, but quietly.

"Aunt I know what you're trying to do with me and that boy. And it most certainly will not work." Wendy said folding her arms angrily.

"Wendy I am simply showing you the way things will be from now on. You have to get used to meeting new young men and starting up a new life." She said calmly.

"I'm only fifteen and a half. He is no older himself aunt. What exactly are you thinking?" Wendy said glaring at her aunt in disbelief.

Aunt Millicent simply rested her hand on Wendy's shoulder and explained, "I'm doing what is best for you. Fifteen is not that young at all. I myself was married at fourteen, your mother was married around the same age as well."

"But aunt, this isn't like when you were my age, times change." Wendy said calming down, but was still angry with her aunt.

'Wendy in this family in this world, things will never change. Only if it's for the best. And getting married now is for the best. So nothing will be changed" She assured Wendy.

Wendy couldn't listen to anymore of her aunt's words. It was too much for her. So she left her aunt standing there quite alone and walked back into the courtyard, crying tears of misery. She didn't want to marry now. She wanted to live a young life for a few more years before being forced into marriage.

She had forgotten that James was still outside and walked over to the snow-covered rose garden, head in hands, letting the warm tears drip slowly into the snow.

Suddenly a hand appeared on her left shoulder, startling her. She spun around coming face to face with James again.

He held up a clean handkerchief, which she accepted gratefully, dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments until James spoke up.

"You know you are very beautiful." He stated quietly.

Wendy bowed her head shyly and smiled. Her tears had ceased and she was now feeling a little better.

Suddenly as she looked up she saw those blue eyes again and was instantly hypnotized. She felt her worries seem to leave her for a moment and suddenly his hand stroked her cheeks affectionately, causing her to close her eyes in peace. Then she felt two warm lips descend onto hers. There they stood in the middle of the snow- covered rose garden kissing away into the night.

* * *

_**A/N: **Okay, most of you may be so angry with me for making Wendy kiss this guy. Hey I'm angry myself. But everything will turn out for the best trust me. The next chapter is typed up as well. I'll post it soon after this one. Don't hate me for this please. Okay, now hurry up and flame me._

_**P.S. **I hope that this chapter is long enough for the people who said that my others were too short._

**_Yunie Tidus_**


	10. Chapter 10: Going Home

**Chapter 10: Going Home**

She didn't fight back the urge to stop, she let herself be taken away to a place she'd been too once before, only this time it was much different, because it wasn't the person she wanted to kiss her.

Suddenly she opened her eyes and pulled away from the kiss abruptly. He gave her a look, which said, _what's wrong?_

She gazed up at him and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you do that. My kiss belongs to someone else."

She then looked away from the hurt expression he showed upon his rather handsome face.

There was an awkward silence that followed until he spoke once more.

"I'm sorry if I took advantage of you." He whispered.

Wendy shook her head and replied softly, "No you didn't. I let you do it. I think I'll go back inside now." She finished as she began to walk towards the building again.

"He caught up with her and said, "Would you like me to escort you there?"

She turned to face him and said, "No, I'm fine. I can find my own way there."

He stopped following her after that, leaving her to pick up her pace as she ran back inside the building, knowing who she had to see right then.

She was going to find her parents. A few things had become clearer in her mind and she now realised that the people her parents had introduced her to were James' parents. No doubt they had planned this whole affair. Well Wendy wouldn't be forced into marriage with a man she barely even knew.

Across the room she spotted her mother and father chatting away to the same people, and she walked quickly over to them, keeping her gaze on them, as she got closer.

As she got closer she saw that her father had looked up to see her approaching. He excused himself from the people and began to walk towards her.

She started to slow down and wondered what he wanted. He was walking quickly towards her and when he was just a metre apart from her he whispered, "Wendy…"

She gazed at him curiously and watched as he pulled her into a warm embrace.

She was completely shocked.

_What had brought this on?_

"Wendy I have some good news for you." He whispered into her left ear.

Wendy wasn't too sure if the news he thought was good, was going to have the same affect on her.

"What is it father?" she asked, as she pulled away.

He smiled down at her and said, "Come, follow me."

He led her away by the hand towards her mother and the couple she had met before.

She looked around and saw that James was heading her way, being led by Aunt Millicent. It was just as she had thought. He was the couple's son. And she had a rough idea about what would happen that night.

Finally they came to a stop in front of her mother and James' parents.

"Wendy darling. You're back." Said her mother happily as she kissed Wendy on her forehead.

Wendy only smiled.

Suddenly Aunt Millicent and James were standing on the side of his parents. He gave Wendy a smile, but she only turned away.

"Okay, now that we're all here, let's get everything out in the open." Said Aunt Millicent happily. "George…would you like to start?" She said gesturing towards Wendy's father.

He nodded and rested his hand on Wendy's right shoulder.

"Well we have been talking to James' family since you went to Aunt Millicent's Wendy…and we have come to the arrangement that James will be the one to take your hand in marriage." He explained a little too enthusiastically for Wendy's liking.

Wendy knew that this was coming, but to actually hear those words be spoken, it made everything seem more real then she wanted them to be.

She looked up at James who seemed positively thrilled about the idea. Then she noticed that the rest of the group was staring at her expectantly.

"Well Wendy…do you have anything to say?" asked her father as he placed his hands together in front of him.

She was positively outraged that they had gone and arranged her life like this and she decided that there was no point in covering it up. If she didn't speak up about how much she hated the idea now, then the next chance she might have to speak about it to all of them would be at the day of her wedding.

So she drew in a deep breath and whispered, "I hate the idea."

Aunt Millicent seemed to hear her utter these words and frowned over at her warningly. But this time Wendy wasn't going to be frightened away with death stares, she was going to live her life the way she wanted to.

"I hate what you've all done to me. You made me grow up and while I was away you went behind my back and arranged for me to marry this boy, whom I don't even know. I won't let you rule over my life the way your parents ruled over yours." Wendy cried out to all of them.

Her father's face turned bright red and his left eye began to twitch violently. A sign that he was definitely not pleased. She looked away and landed her eyes onto James' face and saw that he was very hurt.

"James…I'm sorry…but I can't get married to you. I'm too young. I want to do more with my life before I even think about getting married." She whispered to him.

He nodded understandingly and walked away from them.

His parents did not seem amused. Their attitude changed instantly from the polite, sweet people that they had been only moments ago, into stern, rude people.

They eyed Mr and Mrs Darling and said, "Well, I don't know what you plan to do with that one. When everyone hears about this little stunt, I'm sure no one will want to have her as their bride." The mother said snobbishly; as she stuck her nose up in the air and walked away with her husband, arm in arm.

"Wendy…" trailed off her father angrily.

Suddenly Wendy knew what was coming and didn't want to be around when he started to lose his temper.

So she ran to both of them and kissed them on the cheek, including her aunt before saying, "I'm sorry. I have to go now. I don't expect we will meet again."

She then ran away towards the main entrance with an idea. If she could just find a way to call him back then she would make him take her away once more.

She was approaching the carriage and saw the coachman look at her curiously.

"Miss are you all right." He asked concerned, as he saw her lean onto the carriage door gasping for air.

She smiled and breathed, "Yes…it's just so hard to run in a corset."

He laughed and said, "So where is your aunt?"

Wendy looked away and whispered, "Oh…she's not coming."

That was the best she could come up with.

"All right then miss, climb aboard." He said helping her into the carriage.

When she was sitting safely in the carriage she gazed out at her parents and aunt who were running after her. Wendy's eyes widened and she yelled, "Quick go. Please hurry."

With that, he cracked his whip and the carriage shot off towards aunt Millicent's.

* * *

Wendy had now entered her room and her dress trailed in behind her across the carpet. She hurried over to her window and unlocked it quickly.

Once outside she ran across the balcony and cried, "Peter! Peter I'm sorry. Please come back. I don't want to grow up. I want…you."

She stared out at the night sky and waited for a shooting star to fly towards her on the balcony. After ten minutes of waiting she sighed and headed back inside, only to find that Slightly was standing there with a curious gaze upon his face.

Wendy stepped back and flew her hand to her chest in fright.

"Slightly. You scared me." She breathed heavily.

He didn't say anything, but he did hand her a small brown bag. Wendy picked it up and remembered when he had first given it to her. She had thrown it near the window and that was the last she had seen it.

"What is it?" asked Wendy.

He smiled and whispered, "I think you can figure that out for yourself this time."

He then strolled back out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Wendy watched him leave then looked down at the bag. Very slowly she pulled the string on the bag and peered down to see…

She widened her eyes and gasped in shock. She then looked back at the door where Slightly had just walked through.

It was fairy dust. She could see it now, she sprinkled some out into her hand and exclaimed, "I can go to Neverland by myself and see Peter."

She whispered, "Thank you Slightly."

Then she lifted the bag above her head and emptied its contents over her body. Glowing specks of dust touched her skin and she thought to herself, _Peter._

Then before she knew it, she was hovering in midair and beginning to fly straight for the second star to the right and straight on till morning.

* * *

_**A/N: **Well there you have it. The end to the story "To Live would be an awfully big Adventure." I had to end it here because if I didn't end it soon, I wasn't going to end it at all. I have loads of work at home right now. TAFE, school and my traineeship. Hopefully next year when I am out of school, I will have loads of more time to do more stories. Until then I hope you enjoyed my story._

_**P.S. **There is going to be a sequel to this story. Which is going to be much longer and in Neverland. Wendy's story was just leading up to it. When I have more time to dedicate myself to it, I will definitely start posting the sequel. So keep an eye out for the sequel, which will be titled, "To Live with you is all the Adventure I Need."_

_

* * *

_

**Yunie Tidus**


End file.
